Darryl James: 10 Myths about African Americans that You Should Stop Believing Right Now

If you haven’t read the works of Chancellor Williams of George James, you may still be amongst the thinking Blacks who realize that misinformation about the standing of Africans and African Americans has been the order of the day for centuries.

But if you are a dead brained ignoramus who passes on the latest piece of mythology about your own people, you should do the race a service and either educate yourself or solder your ignorant lips shut.

Black mythology is one of our greatest challenges, because when a people believe they are in a specific state, or doing specific things, those beliefs and thoughts dictate their actions.

One of the most glaring problems facing African Americans is the media’s love affair with Black America, especially Black men. They love having us on the news, but the coverage is largely relegated to perpetual poverty, crime and other “bad” behavior. While we are neither the dominant nor the majority population, the negative media coverage is disproportionately high when it comes to us.

Many of our other difficulties stem directly from the misinformation that we pass on to each other, presenting lies and half-truths as “known facts.” But if one of us presents factual information to challenge the lies, the ignorant are likely to challenge right back with: “where’s your data?” That question will be launched even if data has been presented and even though no challenge was ever issued when the lie was accepted and passed around.

It is no secret that African Americans have an image problem. It is also no secret that the media misrepresents African Americans. What is ostensibly a secret is that many of the most egregious things being said about Black people are being perpetuated by Black people.

In another Black Top Ten list, I’d like to dispel some of those myths.